Stop Singing Hillsong Worship Songs: The False Theology Behind the Music

Hillsong, Bethel, Jesus Culture, and Elevation—these names resonate globally in contemporary Christian music. Their influence is undeniable, yet there’s a compelling reason why you should reconsider singing their songs.

While numerous concerns surround these groups, including the prosperity gospel preached by figures like Bethel’s Bill Johnson and Hillsong’s Brian Houston, the modalistic views attributed to Elevation’s Steven Furtick, and the sexual abuse allegations connected to Hillsong leadership, the most critical issue lies deeper. It’s not just about questionable theology or leader misconduct; it’s about the very essence of worship conveyed through their music. The fundamental problem is that music from Hillsong, Bethel, Jesus Culture, and Elevation embodies a flawed theology of worship.

The most significant reason to stop singing songs from Hillsong, Bethel, Jesus Culture, and Elevation is that their music embodies a false theology of worship.

The Pentecostal Influence on Evangelical Worship Music

These prominent groups all operate within a Pentecostal theology of worship framework. Pentecostalism, emerging in the early 20th century, merged Methodist holiness traditions and revivalism with the belief in ongoing apostolic-era miracles.

This belief system, emphasizing the continuous activity of the Holy Spirit, spurred a shift in worship understanding, diverging from Reformed traditions. Charismatic theologians posit that the Holy Spirit’s primary role in worship is to manifest God’s presence tangibly, allowing worshippers to directly encounter Him. This theology prioritizes physical expression and heightened emotional intensity in worship, often termed “Praise & Worship” theology. The core aim becomes experiencing God’s presence during worship, with praise seen as the key to unlocking this divine encounter.

The “Praise and Worship” Blueprint

“Praise and worship” theology offers a structured approach, a “blueprint for a worship service” designed to facilitate worshippers’ entry into “the presence of God.” This theology hinges on the idea, drawn from interpretations of Scripture, that praise is intrinsically linked to God’s presence – indeed, praise becomes the very vehicle for accessing it. Psalm 22:3, “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel,” is often cited as foundational text.

Early Pentecostal thinkers, such as Reg Layzell and Bob Sorge, emphasized this interpretation, echoing Judson Cornwall’s assertion that “the path into the presence of God [is] praise.” This perspective distinguishes between praise and worship. As Cornwall suggests, “Praise is the vehicle of expression that brings us into God’s presence. But worship is what we do once we gain an entrance to that presence.” Thurlow Spurr further clarifies this distinction:

Praise and worship are not the same. Praise is thanking God for the blessings, the benefits, the good things. It is an expression of love, gratitude, and appreciation. Worship involves a more intense level of personal communication with God, centering on his person. In concentrated worship, there is a sort of detachment from everything external as one enters God’s presence.

Darlene Zschech, former Hillsong worship pastor, exemplifies this Praise & Worship theology:

The word says that God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). It’s amazing to think that God, in all His fullness, inhabits and dwells in our praises of Him. … Our praise is irresistible to God. As soon as He hears us call His name, He is ready to answer us. That is the God we serve. Every time the praise and worship team with our musicians, singers, production teams, dancers, and actors begin to praise God, His presence comes in like a flood. Even though we live in His presence, His love is lavished on us in a miraculous way when we praise Him.

This theological shift significantly altered the understanding of worship music. Ruth Ann Ashton’s 1993 book, God’s Presence through Music, highlighted the heightened importance of musical style. Lim and Ruth describe this as “musical sacramentality,” where music becomes a primary conduit for encountering “God’s presence could be encountered in worship.”

The Liturgical “Flow” and Emotional Journey

This theology profoundly impacted liturgical practices. Departing from traditional liturgical structures, Praise and Worship services are crafted to guide worshippers through a sequence of emotional states, progressing from energetic “praise” to intimate “worship.” Judson Cornwall explains this process:

Praise begins by applauding God’s power, but it often brings us close enough to God that worship can respond to God’s presence. While the energy of praise is toward what God does, the energy of worship is toward who God is. The first is concerning with God’s performance, while the second is occupied with God’s personage. The thrust of worship, therefore, is higher than the thrust of praise.

Praise and Worship liturgy prioritizes the emotional “flow” of the music. Worship leaders are encouraged to curate song sets that begin with upbeat, celebratory songs of thanksgiving, transitioning worshippers into an emotionally charged “soulish worship” experience, and eventually culminating in intimate expressions. Cornwall suggests that in these intimate moments, “a gentle sustained chord on the organ and a song of the Spirit on the lips of the leaders should be more than sufficient to carry a worship response of the entire congregation for a protracted period of time.” Zac Hicks emphasizes the worship leader’s role in managing this “flow,” stating, “Part of leading a worship service’s flow … involves keeping the awareness of God’s real, abiding presence before his worshipers. As all of the elements of worship pass by, the one constant—the True Flow—is the presence of the Holy Spirit himself.” He further clarifies that this flow “lies in understanding and guiding your worship service’s emotional journey.” Carl Tuttle reinforces this, stating, “Grouping songs in such a way that they flow together is essential to a good worship experience.”

Early guides for worship leaders on achieving this flow, such as David Blomgren’s 1978 The Song of the Lord, outlined key principles: continuous flow without interruption, natural transitions through song content, keys, and tempos, and progression towards a climactic experience of true worship. Blomgren specified technical elements to achieve this: thematically and scripturally related song content, smooth key transitions, and tempo progression from faster to slower, fostering a growing sense of closeness to God.

Reformed Worship: Scripture as the Foundation

This Pentecostal “Praise & Worship” theology marks a significant departure from the theology and practice of Reformed Christians from the Reformation to the rise of American revivalism and Pentecostalism. Reformed worship, grounded in Scripture, understands emotion and singing as responses to the Holy Spirit’s work in a believer’s life, not as the means to invoke it. Calvin Stapert clarifies this point using Ephesians 5:18–19 and Colossians 3:16:

“Spirit filling” does not come as the result of singing. Rather, “Spirit filling” comes first; singing is the response. . . . Clear as these passages are in declaring that Christian singing is a response to the Word of Christ and to being filled with the Spirit, it is hard to keep from turning the cause and effect around. Music, with its stimulating power, can too easily be seen as the cause and the “Spirit filling” as the effect.

Stapert cautions against misinterpreting these passages to grant song an undue epicletic function, turning it into a means of compelling the Holy Spirit. He argues this “magical epicletic function” is characteristic of pagan worship, not Christian worship. The Holy Spirit operates in a believer’s heart through the sufficient Word of God and the prescribed means of grace.

Furthermore, while the New Testament acknowledges emotions stemming from a Spirit-sanctified heart, such as the “fruit of the Spirit,” these are characterized not by ecstatic euphoria, but by what Jonathan Edwards described as “the lamb-like, dove-like spirit or temper of Jesus Christ.” True Spirit-formed “religious affections,” according to Edwards, “naturally beget and promote such a spirit of love, meekness, quietness, forgiveness, and mercy, as appeared in Christ.”

This Reformed theology shapes corporate worship as a biblically-regulated service of covenant renewal. In this framework, God molds His people through His Word, and they respond with adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and dedication. Song selection and worship elements are not driven by emotional manipulation or the expectation of manifesting God’s presence through music. Instead, they are chosen based on their alignment with the covenant-renewal structure of the service.

The Subtle Infiltration: Pentecostal Theology Creeping into Evangelicalism

Pentecostalism shifted the focus of corporate worship from covenant renewal to authentic emotional experience. This theological shift didn’t remain confined to Pentecostal churches. Worship embodying Pentecostal theology, particularly through its music, began permeating broader evangelicalism.

In their insightful Lovin’ on Jesus: A Concise History of Contemporary Worship, Swee Hong Lim and Lester Ruth convincingly argue that Pentecostalism, with its “revisioning of a New Testament emphasis upon the active presence and ministry of the Holy Spirit,” is a foundational source of contemporary worship. They identify several ways Pentecostal theology has shaped contemporary worship:

1. Promoting physical and expressive worship.
2. Elevating intensity as a desirable liturgical quality.
3. Creating an expectation of experiencing God in worship.
4. Establishing “musical sacramentality,” increasing the importance of worship sets and musicians.

Lim and Ruth explain that Pentecostalism brought to contemporary worship the “expectation that God’s presence could be encountered in worship and the normal means by which this encounter would happen,” fostering an “expectation for encountering God, active and present through the Holy Spirit.” Daniel Albrecht concurs, noting, “The presence of the Holy Spirit then is fundamental to a Pentecostal perspective of worship. The conviction that the Spirit is present in worship is one of the deepest beliefs in a Pentecostal liturgical vision. The expectancy of the Spirit’s presence is often palpable in the liturgy. . . . Their liturgical rites and sensibilities encourage becoming consciously present to God—even as God’s presence is expected to become very real in worship.”

Consequently, worship emphasizing the direct activity of the Holy Spirit often prioritizes spontaneity and “freedom” over structured forms. Structured, regulated worship is often viewed as antithetical to “Spirit-led” worship in this perspective. Lim and Ruth observe that contemporary worship, influenced by this understanding, often equates “extemporaneity as a mark of worship that is true and of the Holy Spirit, that is, worship in Spirit and truth (John 4:24). This view of extemporaneity” is prevalent in “Free Church ways of worship.” Albrecht’s observations of Pentecostal worship have become widely expected in evangelicalism:

In the midst of radical receptivity, an encounter with the Holy Spirit may occur. Pentecostals envision such encounters as integral to the worship experience. While an overwhelming or overpowering experience of/in the Spirit is neither rare nor routine for a particular Pentecostal worshiper, the experiential dimension of worship is fundamental. The liturgical vision sees God as present in the service; consequently, Pentecostals reason that a direct experience of God is a normal expectation.

This theological framework is embodied in the music of charismatic groups like Hillsong, Bethel, Jesus Culture, and Elevation. Sociologist Gerardo Marti notes that “Hillsong represents a compelling musical pathway to an emotional one-on-one connection to God.” He elaborates, “Hillsong worship involves the hopeful anticipation of the Pentecostal ego motivated to participate in an event-dependent effort (the gathering of worshippers) to surrender oneself with a characteristic openness to God (which involves setting aside distractions and ‘letting go,’ that is meant to lead the earnest believer to the deployment of spiritual power.”

This alignment is expected. Groups with charismatic theology naturally express it in their worship. While theological disagreements are valid, the consistency between their theology and worship style is understandable.

The issue arises when evangelicals who do not subscribe to charismatic theology begin to worship like charismatics. This shift is largely facilitated by the music produced by these influential groups. Marti terms this phenomenon the “Hillsongization” of Christianity. This observation is crucial: singing music from Hillsong, Bethel, Jesus Culture, and Elevation introduces embodied Pentecostalism into your church.

When you sing music from Hillsong, Bethel, Jesus Culture, and Elevation, you are bringing embodied Pentecostalism into your church.

The Power of Music: Embodied Theology in Worship

You might argue, “But the lyrics of the songs we use from these groups don’t explicitly teach Pentecostal theology.” While this might be partially true, and some lyrics do subtly or overtly reflect Pentecostal theology, the primary concern isn’t solely the lyrical content.

The music itself is the key. It’s meticulously crafted to evoke a visceral emotional experience. These feelings are then interpreted as evidence of God’s tangible presence. This aligns perfectly with charismatic sacramental theology. However, it clashes with non-charismatic evangelical theology, particularly Reformed theology. Consequently, much of evangelicalism now worships in a charismatic style, even if their doctrinal statements don’t officially endorse that theology.

Consider this: what shapes congregants more profoundly—a doctrinal statement on a website or the weekly experience of corporate worship?

If you aim to avoid teaching Pentecostal theology to your congregation, then reconsider using Hillsong, Bethel, Jesus Culture, or Elevation music. Because by using their music, you are shaping your people through embodied theology, regardless of your stated doctrinal positions.

You might then ask, “Doesn’t the music from many other popular contemporary worship artists embody the same charismatic theology?”

Indeed, it often does.

Let discernment guide your choices.

Update: followup post on how music embodies theology here and one on two kinds of worship music here.

References

1	Bill Johnson, When Heaven Invades Earth Expanded Edition: A Practical Guide to a Life of Miracles (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 2013), 34.
2	See Amanda Casanova, “Is Megachurch Pastor Steven Furtick Denying the Traditional View of the Trinity?,” ChristianHeadlines.Com, March 5, 2020.
3	Leonardo Blair, “Ex-Nanny of Former Hillsong NYC Pastor Carl Lentz Accuses Him of Sexual Abuse,” The Christian Post, June 1, 2021; Michael Gryboski, “Hillsong’s Brian Houston Says Sex Abuse Concealment Charges Are ‘a Shock to Me,’” The Christian Post, August 6, 2021.
4	Nicola Menzie, “Hillsong’s Brian Houston on Gay Marriage: ‘I Believe the Writings of Paul Are Clear on This Subject,’” The Christian Post, October 18, 2014.
5	See Tanya Riches, “The Evolving Theological Emphasis of Hillsong Worship (1996–2007),” Australasian Pentecostal Studies 13 (2010): 87–133; Bethel, “Glory Clouds and Gold Dust, Signs and Wonders,” Rediscover Bethel, 2021; Jeannie Ortega Law, “Bill Johnson Explains Why Bethel Is Praying for 2-Year-Old’s Resurrection,” The Christian Post, December 19, 2019.
6	Terry Law, How to Enter the Presence of God (Tulsa: Victory House, 1994), 69.
7	For a fantastic treatment of this text, see Matthew Sikes, “Does God Inhabit the Praises of His People? An Examination of Psalm 22:3,” Artistic Theologian 9 (2020): 5–22.
8	Reg Layzell, Unto Perfection: The Truth about the Present Restoration Revival (Mount-lake Terrace: The King’s Temple, 1979), 120–121; Bob Sorge, Exploring Worship: A Practical Guide to Praise & Worship (Canandaigua, NY: Oasis House, 1987).
9	Judson Cornwall, Let Us Praise (Plainfield, N.J: Logos Associates, 1973), 26.
10	Judson Cornwall, Let Us Worship (Plainfield, NJ: Bridge Pub., 1983), 49.
11	Thurlow Spurr, “Praise: More Than a ‘Festival.’ It’s a Way of Life,” Charisma 11, no. 6 (August 1977): 13.
12	Darlene Zschech, Extravagant Worship: Holy, Holy, Holy Is the Lord God Almighty Who Was and Is, and Is to Come (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2002), 54–55 Emphasis original.
13	Runn Ann Ashton, God’s Presence through Music (South Bend, IN: Lesea Publishing Co., 1993).
14	Swee Hong Lim and Lester Ruth, Lovin’ on Jesus: A Concise History of Contemporary Worship (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2017), 18.
15	Cornwall, Let Us Worship, 146.
16	Cornwall, Let Us Worship, 158.
17	Zac M. Hicks, The Worship Pastor: A Call to Ministry for Worship Leaders and Teams (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), 184.
18	Carl Tuttle, “Song Selection & New Song Introduction,” in In Worship Leaders Training Manual (Anaheim, CA: Worship Resource Center/Vineyard Ministries International, 1987), 141.
19	Lim and Ruth, Lovin’ on Jesus, 33.
20	Calvin R. Stapert, A New Song for an Old World: Musical Thought in the Early Church (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2006), 19–20.
21	Stapert, New Song, 20.
22	Jonathan Edwards, A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, New Ed. (Banner of Truth, 1978), 272.
23	For an explanation of this theology of covenant-renewal worship, see Scott Aniol, Biblical Foundations of Corporate Worship (Conway, AR: Free Grace Press, 2022) and Jonathan Landry Cruse, What Happens When We Worship (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2020).
24	Lim and Ruth, Lovin’ on Jesus, 17–18. The other four are youth ministry, baby boomers, Jesus People, and church growth missiology.
25, 26	Lim and Ruth, Lovin’ on Jesus, 18.
27	Daniel E. Albrecht, “Worshiping and the Spirit: Transmuting Liturgy Pentecostally,” in The Spirit in Worship—Worship in the Spirit, ed. Teresa Berger and Bryan D. Spinks (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2009), 239.
28	Lim and Ruth, Lovin’ on Jesus, 38.
29	Albrecht, “Worshiping and the Spirit: Transmuting Liturgy Pentecostally,” 240.
30	Gerardo Marti, “The Global Phenomenon of Hillsong Church: An Initial Assessment,” Sociology of Religion 78 (December 12, 2017): 378.
31	Marti, “Hillsong,” 382.
32	Marti, “Hillsong,” 384.